A common component of both above-the-ground and built-in swimming pools and/or spas is a mechanism known as a skimmer. A skimmer generally comprises a device for removing floating debris from the water surface of a pool or spa. Typically, skimmers utilize a strainer or weir basket disposed in a chamber located adjacent to and in fluid communication with the water level within the swimming pool. The pool water enters the chamber through an inlet port disposed within a side wall of the pool. The chamber further includes an outlet port which is in turn connected to a filter/pump assembly. The weir basket is typically positioned over the outlet port such that water entering the chamber will pass through the weir basket before exiting through the outlet port. In this respect, the weir basket serves as a large element filtering mechanism whereby materials which enter the pool and float upon the water surface, such as grass, leaves, insects, etc. are removed from and filtered out of the water. Thus, as can be appreciated, the skimmer plays an important role in keeping the pool water surface free from contaminants and debris.
Many varieties of above-the-ground swimming pools are known in the art. Typically, such pools are constructed from flexible liners which are supported by rigid frames which may be assembled and in some instances disassembled. Because of the pliable, flexible nature of the water retaining liners of currently known above-the-ground pools, such pools are not well suited to have skimmers attached thereto. In this respect, skimmers as currently known are fabricated from rigid structural components which are not adapted to be secured to a non-rigid structure, such as a flexible liner. Additionally, because of the rigid construction of currently known skimmers, the attachment and removal of such skimmers from the pool would necessarily involve a difficult and time-consuming procedure since the skimmer could not simply be collapsed along with the liner. As such, currently known above-the-ground pools are generally not able to obtain the filtering effects that a skimmer provides. Thus, there exists a need in the art for a collapsible skimmer which may be attached to and used in conjunction with such pools.